Queensland government rejects claims it is considering a snap election

 Extract from The Guardian

Senior ministers say the premier intends to govern for a full term and that cabinet has not even discussed going to the polls following Billy Gordon’s exit from party

Billy Gordon (centre) arriving for a swearing-in ceremony after Labor’s election victory in March. His resignation from the party has prompted speculation of a snap election. Photograph: Dan Peled/AAP

Australian Associated Press

Monday 6 April 2015 12.56 AEST

The Queensland government has rubbished claims that a snap election is needed to rescue the state from legislative paralysis.
The leader of the house, Stirling Hinchliffe, said on Monday that the notion was “ridiculous”.
The Courier-Mail reported that senior Labor figures were pressing the premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, to make Queenslanders return to the polls in the wake of the Billy Gordon allegations.
A snap election would help firm up Labor’s narrow parliamentary majority and ensure legislation could pass smoothly when parliament sat again in May, it was suggested, but Hinchliffe rejected the analysis.
“The situation is that we have the largest number of seats in the Queensland parliament,” he said. “I’m confident about the ability for us to have the support of the parliament.”
He said he had “no idea” who the party elders were who have been anonymously quoted in the media as urging the premier to call a snap poll.
Asked if Labor would work with Gordon on the crossbench, he insisted the government would operate with the members elected at January’s poll. But he joined party colleagues in calling for Gordon to resign from parliament to allow for a by-election in his seat of Cook.
Hinchliffe’s comments echoed those made earlier by the health minister, Cameron Dick, who said cabinet had not discussed a snap election.
“The premier’s made it clear ... she wants the government to govern for the full term,” he told Fairfax Radio on Monday. “I’m not paying too much attention to the media stories today.”
Labor’s state secretary, Evan Moorhead, gave a blunt assessment of the speculation via Twitter: “This is crap.”
The opposition has been contacted for comment.